WILLAMETTE VALLEY FOOD TRUCKS

YEAR-ROUND DINING OPTIONS

COLD, WET WEATHER DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A DETERRENT TO EATING AT, AND ENJOYING OREGON’S FOOD CARTS. Over the past few years, cart pods have added full-service indoor facilities to attract diners year-round. Many offer taprooms or fully-stocked bars, live music, and indoor restrooms. First made popular in downtown Portland, cart pods have spread throughout the state. Winter, when the days are darker and the crowds are lighter, is a great time to support local entrepreneurs serving amazing food. We traveled the length of the Willamette Valley to find four-season pods with both standard fare and unique specialties, and have 10 on our ‘must try’ list.

Eugene Beer Garden

777 W 6th Ave beergardenme.com

This pod has a garden atmosphere and six carts serving everything from fresh poke to Mexican-Asian fusion, wood-fired pizza to Hawaiian plate lunch. The summer patio transforms to a tented, heated dining area and indoors there is a 42-tap bar and dining room. Just grab a table, scan the code, and order on your phone from any of the trucks. Two thumbs up for the Margherita pizza at Pizza Alta.

Housed in an old train depot, Beer Station has 30 taps and large screen TVs for game-day enthusiasts, but their real specialty is a Bacon Cheese Bloody Mary. Or a flight of Mimosas. There is cornhole and a fire pit on the patio - no matter the weather, and their four carts serve the staples: Latin, Thai, pizza, and burgers.

Junction City Beer Station

495 Holly St beerstationjc.com

Albany The Barn at Hickory Station

640 Hickory St NW thebarnhs.com

This locally owned spot in North Albany is popular with families where each member can enjoy their own favorite from the 13 carts on site. For Latin options they have Venezuelan, Salvadoran, and large events. We enjoyed meeting mother and son owners sharing a cart: “Yolanda’s Tamales” and “Will Ya Look at That.” Their Marinated Green Chicken Taco Salad was a huge portion, delicious, healthy, and well-priced.

Mexican. On the Asian side they have Thai, Hibachi, and Sushi carts. And hotdogs, barbeque, Mediterranean, Hawaiian, Indian, and seafood are also available. Their indoor dining area is expansive and they have 35+ taps with rotating beers, cider, kombucha, and wine selections. Don’t forget dessert from the cart serving ice cream and churros!

Oregon City

Corner 14

508 14th St corner14oc.com

Corvallis

Common Fields

545 SW 3rd St commonfieldscorvallis.com

Common Fields is mostly an outdoor location, but you will find covered, heated seating areas with blankets provided to ward off the chill. It is located in a re-purposed, classic service station and still has the service bay doors and a roof over the area where the gas pumps once stood. The cart selection includes Mediterranean, German, Salvadoran, and Burmese, and they have a shop featuring local food items from artisan producers. Their weekly calendar includes Trivia Night and BINGO, and they host live music on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We loved the Chicken Curry with Rice and Vegetable Samosas at Nai Nai’s.

Located in historic, downtown Oregon City, Corner 14 houses 11 carts including Russian, Tandoori, and Liege Waffle options. We can recommend the Chicken Shawarma Platter at Shawarma Express. They also have 4 axe-throwing lanes (2 in/2 out) and host a weekly throwing league in partnership with Celtic Axe Throwers (celticaxethrowers.com).

SE Portland

Collective Oregon Eateries (CORE)

3612 SE 82nd Ave corepdx.com

Newly opened in 2022, CORE aspires to “elevate the eatery experience” and supports 11 carts at their southeast Portland property. In addition to a large, indoor food hall, we found Breakside, a mobile tap truck in a converted, 1972 Winnebago motorhome. Also on site is Gnarlys Vegan Burgers and Sou’s selling Pepper Salted Squid. CORE hosts Cornhole Night on Wednesdays.

Salem

The Yard Food Park

4106 State St theyardfoodpark.com

Celebrating 4 years in the Four Corners neighborhood of east Salem, The Yard features 17 carts including Cajun, seafood, and soul food. Inside there is a coffee bar, 22 taps, and wine and specialty cocktails from the bar. The space is rentable for

Happy Valley Happy Valley Station

13551 SE 145th Ave happyvalleystation.com

Three miles east of Clackamas Town Center off Sunnyside Road, Happy Valley Station has 18 covered carts including specialties like Korean-Hawaiian, Peruvian, Vietnamese, and grilled cheese! There is a full bar with 45 taps, and the inside dining hall features a French bakery serving pastries, sandwiches, and espresso drinks. Gift tokens are available for $10 each and are redeemable at any cart. They have a sister pod at Troutdale Station (troutdalestation.com) east of Gresham off Interstate 84.

Beaverton

BG’s Food Cartel

4250 SW Rose Biggi Ave bgfoodcartel.com

An easy walk from the Beaverton Central MAX station, BG’s is Beaverton’s largest food cart pod with 31 trucks and plenty of outdoor seating. Indoors is their “Speakeasy Bar” and they offer an event space for rent. The large number of cart choices makes this a great spot for groups and families to dine. We had the Veggie Mezza Plate at Aybla Grill… always our favorite.

Forest Grove

Zesti Food Carts

2131 Yew St zesticarts.com

West of the Portland Metro area in Forest Grove is Zesti Food Carts. The site has been “designed with intention to accommodate food lovers, families, adults and even pets.” They host community events and are home to 14 carts including Italian, Texas-Hawaiian, Argentinian, and Turkish cuisine. Our Pork Belly and Lamb Cuban Sandwich from AJ’s was fabulous.

Oregon City - Corner 14